I remember years back hearing that you'd be asking for trouble with
things bringing as plastics, but realistically, it' not as if it's a radical
change. I've had machines set up on High Tap for many years, and
never a problem, and somehow (?) if so, no problem to change back..
I might say, I clean everything well, and never use hot coils..

I generally would only put an EM machine on high-tap when I was bringing it to the free-play area at the Allentown or York shows. The line voltage in those halls typically gets dragged down under 110V and if you don't high-tap, an EM will play sluggish and slow.

Caveat, I did notice the new building at the York show this fall seemed better for line voltage.

I'm in the 'sometimes' group. Don't know that I've noticed a big difference when I've done it (unlike with hot coils or DC rectifiers where there is an immediate difference). I've also never had a problem with broken drop targets, etc. when I have done it.

Couple of years ago I bought a Sky Jump it was set to High Tap. Played for a few weeks like that, then re set to Normal. The difference was not that much. Set to normal the ball will still get above the top roll overs, from the flippers.

An EM is not a modern machine. I don't expect it to play like a modern game. The being said, I've high tapped a couple. Some games need the boost. But mostly I like them as they are. There is a certain feel that just feels good.

I find that a thorough cleaning, buffing and adjusting of the switches/contacts is enough to bring an old EM back to life. That said, I'm about to do my first high tap on a 1971 Williams Klondike. After restoration, the pops just aren't popping like I expect. I had the same problem with a 1972 Williams Honey - wish I knew why. Klondike is pre-DC power, but should play better than it is. It could be the Jones Plugs. I have yet to find a good way to clean the female connectors on the Jones Plugs.

I'm in the 'sometimes' group. Don't know that I've noticed a big difference when I've done it (unlike with hot coils or DC rectifiers where there is an immediate difference). I've also never had a problem with broken drop targets, etc. when I have done it.

On some games I have done it. In some cases it made a difference, in others it was not noticeable.

Wiring does increase resistance with age so upping the voltage helps.

What operators did back in the day.. is no concern of mine. I want to play a fun game.

If high-tapped, I'll revert it to normal. Then go through the complete rebuild. I don't want all the steppers and relays and reels clacking themselves harder than necessary.
If it still isn't playing perfectly (some didn't from the factory), then I'll custom tune the coils... which isn't often necessary.
This way, if it goes to a show with low power at the outlet, I can temporarily high-tap to bring it back to the baseline when needed.
Might install a switch for this option in the future...

I had considered the switch option as well just to try it out. Normally, I will put in PBR's orange dot flipper coils in my Gottlieb EM pins. I like a little more zip in the flipper action than stock. All my pin restores get complete mechanical rebuilds on all mechanisms- thorough cleaning, New coil stops, sleeves, any worn items replaced. Makes a HUGE difference in the game play.

it just depends. that's the best way to put it. i've rebuild the same title twice, in the same way, and sometimes the "ball kinetics" of one of the games is helped by high tap (where the other game doesn't need it.) It's a weird thing how games age. Or maybe how the transformer was wound when new. It just all depends.

Most of my EMs came high taped. Not sure if it was for low voltage locations, or operators trying to keep older equipment earning when players were getting used to faster playing digitals. I've left them there and have never had any problems. Voltage generally wasn't a problem. One time an ice storm took out power for the entire area. Power was slowly restored, mine not for eleven days. I invited friends to a return of power pinball party. When everything went dark, we all thought the area power was out again. We started to light candles when some one looked out a window and noticed my neighbors still had power. It turned out someone had put something in the oven for reheating. That with all my machines on, tripped the house main breaker. I'm pretty sure pins were operating on low voltage before the oven put us over the top, with no noticeable slow downs or other issues.

Hi @NicoVolta
in post-16 You write "Might install a switch for this option in the future ..." --- see the top of the JPG - Recel*** Bang-Bang solution (encircled green): TWO fuseholders.

(At least) Strange looking is the rest of the JPG - Recel*** Space Race --- "encircled red": Are the fuses on the "return side / common line" ? The schematics is drawn using mostly 28VAC - but (my blue wiring): Two "Bank-Coils" are wired to 30VAC. In the pin the Kickers, Bumpers and Flippers use DC-Current --- an Adj.Plug (encircled orange) to change the Normal- / High-Tap just for these coils.
This means to me: In Space Race they may use at the same time: 28VAC (most of the coils) and 30VAC (Bank-Coils) and 32VAC to be converted to DC, hmm - I wonder that this works (((I am not an electricien - maybe thats why they have the (encircled red) solution on the fuses ?)))

"I don't want all the steppers and relays and reels clacking themselves harder than necessary."

Well if that thinking was true, put your game on low-tap.
Yea sure, that will make it live longer (no it won't duh.)

high tap doesn't beat steppers or score reels more. trust me, nothing you're going to do to your games is going to compare to what they've been thru in the first 5 years of their lives. they are living in retirement in your basement right now. Even on the highest of high tap, it's like they're on social security and getting up at 9am in the florida sunshine compared to what they got when new.

We have over 100 EM games at the Ann Arbor pinball museum. I would say easily 75 percent are on high tap. And have been for the time i've owned them (so 20+ years for some games.) And they get played A LOT. out of this time, NOT ONCE, not a single time, have we had to replace a coil stop or a plunger or anything. So they're not "kicking themselves to death", trust me. Now when they came in, coil stops and plungers were replaced. But in the 20 years since, nothing.

So PLEASE just stop this bullcrap that high tap is going to punish your game. We have actual live evidence that this is crap, opposed to dumb conjecture.

it just depends. that's the best way to put it. i've rebuild the same title twice, in the same way, and sometimes the "ball kinetics" of one of the games is helped by high tap (where the other game doesn't need it.) It's a weird thing how games age. Or maybe how the transformer was wound when new. It just all depends.

Check voltage with a meter at the transformer input, output, and at each coil. Often overlooked are the fuse connections, and the switches on the tilt, and game over relays which carry power to the playfield components. But God knows, I shouldn't have to tell you this, Clay!

I will say this about high tap though... it can kick the crap out of the ball! though personally i have not experienced ripped posts and broken plastics, that no doubt could be an issue. Increased ball speeds will do that. Personally i haven't seen it (heck most broken plastics come from people lifting the playfield with the ball installed!) But score reels and steppers taking more abuse, no way. The ball abusing the playfield paint, well, that's another issue...

"I don't want all the steppers and relays and reels clacking themselves harder than necessary."
Well if that thinking was true, put your game on low-tap.
Yea sure, that will make it live longer (no it won't duh.)
high tap doesn't beat steppers or score reels more. trust me, nothing you're going to do to your games is going to compare to what they've been thru in the first 5 years of their lives. they are living in retirement in your basement right now. Even on the highest of high tap, it's like their on social security and getting up at 9am in the florida sunshine compared to what they got when new.

I don't know about that. While you're probably right that the bulk of the wear on components happens during the first fIve years of a game's life on location, setting an older game on high tap when you have adequate line voltage can cause steppers to malfunction, and it's partly due to the wear that these parts have already received. I've seen it happen.
Add to this, that unless the units have been cleaned after years of old, gunked up lubricant has stiffened them, you're definitely adding stress to the working components by needlessly high tapping. Most homes have more than adequate line voltage.

Most of my experience is with Gottliebs. To me I have never seen the need to high tap a game, but then again I always completely shop and wax including flipper rebuilds, cleaning contacts and 100% new coil sleeves. In rare cases I might pull some wire off of pop bumper coils, but that is an exception and not a rule. My games all play snappy as hell and can be enjoyed by a purist or a speed nut.

I will say this about high tap though... it can kick the crap out of the ball! though personally i have not experienced ripped posts and broken plastics, that no doubt could be an issue. Increased ball speeds will do that.

Then this would be a problem with mid-70's game with DC power and solid state games as well would it not? There is no difference in the posts, plastics and most elastics from the 60's to the 80's. If the plastics and posts can survive DC powered poppers and flippers than a little high tap on an older unit is a gentle kiss in comparison.

The most wear I see are on playfields from dragging flippers, rusty balls, saucer eject points, outholes, etc.

"I don't want all the steppers and relays and reels clacking themselves harder than necessary."
Well if that thinking was true, put your game on low-tap.
Yea sure, that will make it live longer (no it won't duh.)
high tap doesn't beat steppers or score reels more. trust me, nothing you're going to do to your games is going to compare to what they've been thru in the first 5 years of their lives. they are living in retirement in your basement right now. Even on the highest of high tap, it's like they're on social security and getting up at 9am in the florida sunshine compared to what they got when new.
We have over 100 EM games at the Ann Arbor pinball museum. I would say easily 75 percent are on high tap. And have been for the time i've owned them (so 20+ years for some games.) And they get played A LOT. out of this time, NOT ONCE, not a single time, have we had to replace a coil stop or a plunger or anything. So they're not "kicking themselves to death", trust me. Now when they came in, coil stops and plungers were replaced. But in the 20 years since, nothing.
So PLEASE just stop this bullcrap that high tap is going to punish your game. We have actual live evidence that this is crap, opposed to dumb conjecture.

But sometimes the games *are* going on location. Or kept for future generations. More force than necessary is still more than necessary, pinball or not.

I think that largely sums it up. A lot of this is just personal Opinion and preference and what you like or what you don’t like. Theres probably No right or wrong. Just what’s right or wrong for you

I will say this though. If people want to help gather data, that is real live data, here is a simple test....

Everyone replace their EM coil fuse with a 5 amp slow blow fuse. Most games, if you look at the schematics, want 10 amp fast fuse for coil power. Replace this with a five amp slow blow and report back with how many fuse blows you get. This should tell you a lot about what’s going on inside your game.

We have been doing this at the museum for sometime. We find that having a five amp slow blow is much better for when something locks on or there is excessive use on a game. It is our opinion that it’s better to blow an inexpensive fuse then it is to burn a coil. And the five amp slow blow test has worked out really well for us.

If you find that you were blowing a five amp slow blow more than say once or twice a year, then there may be some data that your particular game is kicking itself to death. But in our experience we just have not found this to be the case

Actually to this point you could actually even go a step further and use a three amp slow blow fuse instead of a five amp. But I think in this case you’re narrowing it too close and you may get erratic data with a 3 amp slow blow

Also I am not buying the, “some em games are still on location”, theory. You’re comparing apples and oranges. These games are 40 years old. Not like when they came out when they were brand new and everybody wanted to play the newest latest game. Most people have played nearly every EM title every made, and having EMs on location today is not the same as having them on location back when they were new 40 years ago. So again this, hightap is going to kick the crap out of your game theory, it’s just bull crap. EM games today are on serious vacation compared to 40 years ago when they were new. Add to that, some people just refuse to play EMs today. They just don’t understand them, they don’t like them, they don’t want anything to do with them. 40 years ago and they were new and that’s all there was. It was a whole different time and a different animal and these games got used in a whole different way back when new

My Top Score was on hi when I got it. I switched it to normal and it works fine. I will point out that it also came with yellow dot flipper coils. Pretty zippy. I feel an EM should be be maintained to the condition of satisfactory play action at normal tap settings and if it is slow, then repair the problem.

My Top Score was on hi when I got it. I switched it to normal and it works fine. I will point out that it also came with yellow dot flipper coils. Pretty zippy. I feel an EM should be be maintained to the condition of satisfactory play action at normal tap settings and if it is slow, then repair the problem.

High tapping and yellow dot coils are just total overkill.
My brother once got a "Pro Pool" which had yellow dot coils, a bridge rectifier, and was high tapped by the previous owner.
This combination totally ruined the game play, and the inside edge of the upper arch was actually peened from being relentlessly hammered by the ball. The drop targets were in no danger though. It was actually difficult to hit them, because the ball just wanted to rocket northward when crushed by the ultra-overpowered flippers!
Needless to say, he undid all but the bridge, and it played normally again.

"I don't want all the steppers and relays and reels clacking themselves harder than necessary."
Well if that thinking was true, put your game on low-tap.
Yea sure, that will make it live longer (no it won't duh.)
high tap doesn't beat steppers or score reels more. trust me, nothing you're going to do to your games is going to compare to what they've been thru in the first 5 years of their lives. they are living in retirement in your basement right now. Even on the highest of high tap, it's like they're on social security and getting up at 9am in the florida sunshine compared to what they got when new.
We have over 100 EM games at the Ann Arbor pinball museum. I would say easily 75 percent are on high tap. And have been for the time i've owned them (so 20+ years for some games.) And they get played A LOT. out of this time, NOT ONCE, not a single time, have we had to replace a coil stop or a plunger or anything. So they're not "kicking themselves to death", trust me. Now when they came in, coil stops and plungers were replaced. But in the 20 years since, nothing.
So PLEASE just stop this bullcrap that high tap is going to punish your game. We have actual live evidence that this is crap, opposed to dumb conjecture.

Tough but fair.

I almost always hi tap my EMs to zero negative consequences. And it just makes them punchier.

I have a Gottlieb with 2" flippers which was a snooze-fest so I high tapped it, which only made it marginally better.

So I ordered up a set of yellow dot coils planning on "low tapping" when they arrived.

Once the coils were installed I found the game was "just right" and left it that way. It gets played almost daily and just inspected the playfield last week when I swapped out the new and somewhat unreliable incandescent 47 bulbs they sell now with Comet sunlight LED for the GI lighting.

Everything looked perfect, nothing abnormal of note. Star Action and Night Rider moves the ball far harder about the table than my high tapped and yellow dotted Domino. Night Rider in particular has some brutal ball action up in the poppers.

I have 3 high-tapped, they work great. I like the yellow-dot coils, I see no reason for their bad reputation. Probably another legend without real documented evidence.

I found at least one 60's wedgehead with that configuration. The ball was getting blasted around the playfield really hard. It played quite differently that way. I did see some broken plastic and some posts were starting to tilt from the impact force. But hey, would 50's hot rod culture even exist by playing it safe? Some people are just born for speed.

We seem to live at a time when people feel unsatisfied with anything less than total destruction of all differing opinions. So many news articles... "Click here to see so-and-so DESTROY @phil-lee on CNN about their yellow-dot preferences!"

Haha... no need to go there. If you like 'em fast, then fast they shall be.

I've never had any issues of any kind from high tapping a game. But I don't care too much for the yellow dots. Just too powerful. I put them on a Big Indian one time, those drops up at the very top seemed to be asking for them. I was getting glass at the top of the playfield, they were just too powerful. The orange dots are better but it will be a game by game decision on those.

I've never had any issues of any kind from high tapping a game. But I don't care too much for the yellow dots. Just too powerful. I put them on a Big Indian one time, those drops up at the very top seemed to be asking for them. I was getting glass at the top of the playfield, they were just too powerful. The orange dots are better but it will be a game by game decision on those.

3" vs 2" flippers.

Longer flipper is going to have a bunch more leverage behind it. Think adding a cheater bar to a tire wrench.

Come to think of it, I don't think any of my 3" games are high tapped, just a few of the 2" ones.

3" vs 2" flippers.
Longer flipper is going to have a bunch more leverage behind it. Think adding a cheater bar to a tire wrench.
Come to think of it, I don't think any of my 3" games are high tapped, just a few of the 2" ones.

Actually the 3" have less leverage, but more velocity if you hit the ball within that extra inch.

I still think the best way for a machine is to properly shop it, make sure your coils are in range,new sleeves, plungers etc.

A few of mine use higher power flipper coils, only where some of the upper targets on the playfield aren't that easy to hit. And I'm guilty of boosting some pop bumper coils on some games by removing some coil winding.

I was thinking of an analogy like when you are using a pipe wrench and you add a bar to get more leverage.
3" flipper = longer pipe wrench

Yes, but it's the ball that has the greater leverage against the flipper because of the extra length, not the flipper against the ball.
Visualize pushing a bowling ball flipper-like, holding an eight foot pole in one hand. Then, the same with a four foot pole. It's harder to move the ball with the longer pole, because it's the ball that has leverage against your hand.

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